Authentic Greek Moussaka

Sun-kissed white stone buildings juxtaposed against a sea of sapphire blue, the sound of old church bells chiming through the air, ancient ruins, a rich and intriguing history…Greece!

Whether you’ve already been there or are still waiting, planning, dreaming…why wait to enjoy Greece? Come with me and let’s travel there now as we embark on a culinary adventure to explore Greece’s national dish – Moussaka!

Now any food that comes from a country that looks like this has GOT to be delicious, don’t you think?

This dish was requested by Bethany in Michigan. She wrote in to request an excellent moussaka recipe that she could make for her family and friends and I am confident you are all going to enjoy this as much as we do!

Traditional moussaka uses ground lamb while most modern versions use ground beef. I took culinary license to add the additional twist of halving the ground beef with mild ground sausage. This added a wonderful flavor dimension to the dish. I took measures to optimize the flavors every step of the way while retaining the dish’s authentic integrity.

Many very traditional versions of moussaka use a layer of potatoes. Most modern versions do not. I added the potatoes in order to create a more complete meal and they really are a great addition.

True to its traditional roots with some added flavor, this moussaka recipe will impress your dinner guests including any native Greek who may happen to come to dinner!

Let’s get started!

Finely dice the onions and garlic. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and brown the ground beef and sausage until no pink remains. Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, all the seasonings, the bay leaf, and the wine. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes, or almost all of the liquid is absorbed. This is important or the casserole will be too watery. Allow the sauce to cool, and then stir in the beaten egg.

Select two large potatoes and 2-3 eggplants, depending on size. I only ended up needing two eggplants.

Peel and slice the potatoes 1/4 inch thick. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the potato slices for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Set aside.

Using a potato peeler, peel strips of the eggplant peel off in a striped pattern. The peel on eggplants is very tough, even when fully cooked and it is difficult to cut through with a fork. Eggplant peel also becomes bitter. Peeling most of it off while leaving stripes yields tender eggplant that still retains a pretty appearance of the shiny purple peel. Cut the eggplants into 1/4 inch slices.

Lay the slices out in single layer on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. This will help prevent the final dish from being too watery.

Heat a skillet over high heat, add some of the olive oil and fry a batch of eggplant slices on both sides until lightly browned. Place the slices on fresh paper towels to soak up the oil. (Again, this is important to prevent the final dish from being too soupy). Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.

Lay the potatoes in the casserole dish, slightly overlapping them. Next place a layer of eggplant slices over the potatoes, slightly overlapping them.

Next, spread the meat mixture evenly on top of the eggplant slices.

Place a final layer of eggplant slices on top of the meat mixture.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Save the egg whites for a different use. We’re only using the yolks.

Next we’re going to make that glorious, luxurious Bechamel Sauce! (Use this recipe to use with other foods as well. This sauce is fantastic served over cooked cauliflower, for example. Or when making it add some Cheddar cheese to it to make your own Macaroni & Cheese sauce. These are just two of many examples – you’re going to love this sauce!)

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat and whisk in the flour until no clumps remain. Continue whisking for another minute. While continually whisking, gradually add the milk. Then add the salt, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese. Whisk to break up and dissolve any clumps. Slowly bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat, all the while continuing to whisk to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom.

While continually whisking, gradually add the milk. Then add the salt, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese. Whisk to break up and dissolve any clumps. Slowly bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat, all the while continuing to whisk to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom.

Once the sauce has thickened, continue to simmer the sauce, while whisking, for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool.

Once the sauce has mostly cooled, whisk in the egg yolks.

Spread the bechamel sauce evenly over the final layer of eggplant slices.

Bake the moussaka uncovered in a oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes before serving. This will give it time to absorb any excess liquid.

Place the eggplant slice in a single layer on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Heat a skillet over high heat, add some of the olive oil and fry a batch of eggplant slices on both sides until lightly browned. Place the slices on fresh paper towels to soak up the oil. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the potato slices. Boil for 5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and brown the ground beef and sausage until no pink remains. Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, all the seasonings, the bay leaf, and the wine. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes, or almost all of the liquid is absorbed. This is important or the casserole will be too watery. Allow the sauce to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.

To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and use a wire whisk to blend it with the butter. Continue whisking for another 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the milk while continually whisking to prevent lumps. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and nutmeg. Continue whisking until all clumps have dissolved (if you haven't caught on to the trend yet, this sauce requires a lot of whisking!). Continue to whisk (there we go again!) the sauce until it thickens and has simmered for about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and remove the saucepan from the burner. Allow the sauce to cool for about 20 minutes. Then whisk in the egg yolks until thoroughly blended.

Sprinkle a thin, even layer of fine bread crumbs on the bottom of the dish. This will help absorb the liquid from the vegetables.

Arrange a layer of slightly overlapping potatoes on the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Next add a layer of eggplant slices, slightly overlapping them. Evenly spread out the meat sauce on top. Add another layer of eggplant slices and even top with the béchamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Remove the moussaka and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow the liquid in the bottom of the dish to absorb.

So funny you asked! Just an hour ago I was thinking I needed to update the recipe to include a vegetarian option. I haven’t tried it before, but I think TVP would work wonderfully with some added spices to add more flavor (I would add a teaspoon or so of paprika, an extra 1/4 cup of red wine for moisture, an extra couple of teaspoons of olive oil for fat, and an additional tablespoon of tomato paste.) A cup of dried TVP is about the equivalent of a pound of ground beef. Follow package instructions to reconstitute it and then add it to the sauce along with the other sauce ingredients after sauteing the onions and garlic. I think the moussaka would work well as a whole grains dish as well. An alternative to the TVP is to use something like a combination of brown rice, millet, spelt, even oat groats. Cook them separately to roughly equal 1 1/2-2 cups of cooked grains and then add them to the sauce and simmer to steep them in the flavors. I would probably even add a little extra Parmesan cheese to the sauce for added flavor instead of it being only in the bechamel sauce. I would still add a few bread crumbs on the bottom of the baking dish even though the sauce won’t be as runny, because the eggplant still emits a lot of moisture. Definitely let me know how it goes if you try this!

Kimberly, This is just fantastic. I was able to print it out. It’s book!!24 pages. This is why I use so much paper and ink. I’m going to try this. Harm and I went to Greece. Athens and then a Greek Island cruise. We knew Telly Savalas (Actor) and he gave us tips on things to see. I love Greek food. Wish I could be closer so I could become a taster(along with Todd)!!!Love you allNana Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:52:22 +0000 To: [email protected]

Thanks, Elaine! I sure you hope you like the recipe well enough to have made all that paper and ink worth it!! That’s really neat about your trip to Greece and your association with Savalas (I’ve heard he was a really nice guy). So wish you were closer as well!

I started this morning so we could have this for our Family Home Evening dinner! Tonight we’re going to learn about Greece. I made it early so it would be ready by the time my husband gets home from work. I taste tested it… and then taste tested it again… and again, and again… It tastes AMAZING! I’m just not sure how much will be left by the time we actually sit down to dinner. ;)

That’s wonderful, Bethany! I created this recipe for you per your “Make a Request” post, so I am VERY happy to hear it turned out a success! Have a wonderful FHE tonight learning about Greece and enjoying it’s national dish together as a family! Thanks for your feedback.

Kimberly,hello,I’m from Greece.The salting of the eggplants has an extra purpose,it takes away the bitterness that eggplants sometimes have,but after the 30′-45′ you have to rinse them off,and then squeeze them to drain the water,then dry them with paper towel.That makes the eggplants very sweet.The salting. Of course the original version of mousaka,is frying the potatoes and eggplants.The taste is much more better,I personally and most greek cooks,fry them both.The last decade some more healthier and fat-free versions of mousaka say to roast the vegetables lightly in the oven for a few minutes,I’ve tried it but the taste is very different.Not that good.My vegeterian version of mousaka is this:I cook a tomato sauce,like when you do for spaggeti etc,and in each layer of vegetables I sprinkle a little sauce and some cheece,feta cheece and kefalotyri (aka yellow salty cheece,you can put parmesan),so you need more vegetables of course,4 layers at least.And if you like you can add zucchini,so slices of potatoes,eggplants and zucchini fried,tomato sauce and cheeses and the creme sauce on the top.Mousaka is one of the best greek dishes.I am happy to help if you like sth else to know from our dishes.

Hello, Klio, and welcome! That makes perfect sense about the salting process removing any bitterness. Yes, in this recipe I fry the eggplant and I agree that it makes it taste better. Thank you so very much for sharing your vegetarian version and for all the information and tips! Best, Kimberly

I have been on a quest to find the best moussaka recipe for years. After trying many, many recipes that were just mediocre, I have finally found the Holy Grail. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of using only ground beef and I literally was teary eyed with pure joy when I took my first bite. I cannot thank you enough for this recipe.

OMG!!! I made this and it was amazing.. I didn’t have a bay leaf or parsley…but it turned out so well. I have a happy tummy and a happy partner. He loved it too. I txt him just now to not eat the left overs in the fridge because I want to have it for dinner. Haha. Thanks for a gorgeous recipe!!!!

Awesome!!! I am so thrilled you and your partner enjoyed this as much as we do and really appreciate the feedback, thank you! Hopefully he heeded your text and you were able to come home to a ready meal this evening :)

Hi Kimberly! For start, I absolutely love this recipe! I have been making it for years and it’s an absolute hit with all my friends and family. Thank you.

I just wanted to ask your advice as to how you would go about pre-making this recipe to cook later. Will it keep in the fridge for few days or would you recommend freezing it? I’m hoping to make it for a friend who needs the help at the moment – I want to make it as easy as possible for her to just throw it in the oven to finish it off.

Thanks so much, Megan! You can definitely keep it in the fridge for a couple of days and then bake it. I’ve never tried freezing moussaka but I’ve heard a lot of people say that it freezes and reheats well (though some recommend to freeze it without the bechamel). If you Google “can you freeze moussaka?” you’ll see link to Livestrong that gives several recommendations for freezing it baked and unbaked.

Another great recipe from The Daring Gourmet! Clear, easy to follow instructions and a wonderful, restaurant quality result with authentic flavor. I tried many other Mousaka recipes before but never found one that I would like to keep until now! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am looking forward to your approach to Pad Thai.

Hi Lisa, yes, some versions are made with lamb – traditional moussaka uses ground lamb while most modern versions use ground beef, though of course there are local and regional variations. I’m so glad to hear you’ve tried and liked several of my recipes, thank you! :)

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Unless otherwise stated, all images, content and recipes are original and are the sole property of Kimberly Killebrew, daringgourmet.com. No photographs or other content may be used without prior written consent.